Government not finished with Toyota case
On Wednesday, the government said it had not made any decision if Toyota drivers are to blame for their vehicles accelerating all of a sudden, a problem which has led to millions of recalled cars and trucks since last year.
In a statement released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it states that its engineers were investigating the potential causes of sudden acceleration in Toyotas together with scientists and researchers with the National Academy of Scientists and NASA.
The Wall Street Journal, refering anonymous sources, said Tuesday that the government had reviewed dozens of event data recorders, or black boxes, in Toyota vehicles connected in crashes blamed on unintentional acceleration and found the throttles were open and the brakes were not engaged. That would imply the drivers were stepping on the gas pedal instead of the brakes.
Olivia Alair spokesperson of Transportation Department said government investigators had "drawn no conclusions and released no data. We will follow the facts and inform the public when our investigation comes to an end."
Ever since this issue erupted, Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles worldwide from last fall because of faulty accelerators, floor mats that can trap gas pedals and brake problems in Prius hybrids. The Japanese automaker has rendered action to address problems with unintended acceleration by fixing the gas pedals.
NHTSA is also investigating grumbles by Corolla and Matrix owners concerning steering problems. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said Wednesday that the company informed the dealers last month that it would change the computers that oversee power steering if drivers ask for a fix.
NHTSA’s investigation is still on process and Toyota has not issued a recall over the issue. Nearly 500,000 Corollas and Matrix vehicles are covered by the federal probe.
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